Current Research Activities In Progress
Myers, K., & Sheesley, A. P. (under review with journal). “What’s a school counselor?”: Foster Care Youths’ Perceptions of School Counselors. Submitted to Professional School Counseling.
Sheesley, A. P., Jones, S., & Ochoa, S. (under review with publisher). Comedy Therapy Treatment Manual for Clinicians.
Sheesley, A. P., Hunter, S., Lusero Hoffman, A., & Helm, H. (in progress). School-Based Child-Centered Play Therapy Manual for Clinicians.
*Dr. Alison Sheesley was the PI on a project that secured $100,000 to provide 80 children in Adams 12 Five Star Schools with free play therapy for the entire 2025-2026 school year, with plans to continue the program. Part of the funding for this program involves writing a manual for implementing Child-Centered Play Therapy in schools.
*Research continuing…Dr. Alison Sheesley was also the PI on a project that secured $328,335 to train and provide supervision to 6 new Spanish-speaking Registered Play Therapists in Denver.
Publications in a Refereed Journal (articles, books, book chapters)
Phillips, W., Sheesley, A. P., & Gensberg Schwartz, J. (2026). Pathophysiologic similarities between autism spectrum disorder and Alzheimer’s disease: Therapeutic possibilities. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 19. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2025.1737007
Sheesley, A. P. (2020). Social justice scenes. In M. Pope, M. Gonzalez, E. Cameron, & J. Pangelianan (Eds.), Social justice and advocacy in counseling: Experiential activities for teaching (pp. 148-152). New York, NY: Routledge.
Clemens, E. V., Lalonde, T., Sheesley, A. P., & Klopfenstein, K. (2019). Early warning indicators of dropping out of schools for teens who experienced foster care. Child Welfare, 97(5), 65-88.
Cureton, J., & Sheesley, A. P. (2019). Suicide competencies: Stories from counseling interns. Journal of Professional Counseling: Practice, Theory, & Research, 44(2), 14-31. https://doi.org/10.1080/15566382.2017.12069188
Sheesley, A. P., Pfeffer, M., & Barish, B. (2017). Comedic improv therapy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. In N. Mazza (Ed.), Expressive therapies: Major themes in mental health. London, UK: Psychology Press.
Clemens, E. V., Lalonde, T. L., & Sheesley, A. P. (2016). The relationship between school mobility and students in foster care earning a high school credential. Children and Youth Services Review, 68, 193-201.
Sheesley, A. P. (2016). Counselors within the Chronic Care Model: Supporting weight management. Journal of Counseling & Development, 94(2), 234-245. doi:10.1002/jcad.12079
Sheesley, A. P., Pfeffer, M., & Barish, B. (2016). Comedic improv therapy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(2), 157-169. doi:10.1080/15401383.2016.1182880
Publications in a Non–Refereed Journal (articles, papers, reports, multimedia)
Lalonde, T., Tsai, Chia-Lin, Clemens, E., Myers, K., Sheesley, A. P., Tolliver, L., McElhinney, C. (2020). Flattening the college curve: Lessons learned from foster care to improve postsecondary participation for all youth. Denver, CO: Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver. Retrieved from https://coloradolab.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Postsecondary-Foster-Care-Report.pdf
Clemens, E. V., Sheesley, A. P., Moses, S., & Davis, L. (December 2019). Transforming Colorado’s Child Support Services to a two-generation approach: Lessons learned and impact results from implementing an 11-county randomized controlled study (Report No. 104C.V2). Denver, CO: Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver. Retrieved from https://coloradolab.org/projects/2019-projects/#2gen
Clemens, E. V., & Sheesley, A. P. (2019). Fostering Opportunities program manual: Middle and high school version (Report No. 105A, Version 1). Denver, CO: Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver. Retrieved from https://coloradolab.org/wpcontent/uploads/2019/07/Fostering-Opportunities-Manual.pdf
Clemens, E. V., Lalonde, T. L., & Sheesley, A. P. (2018). Insight into the 2017 drop in foster care graduation rates: An examination of trends in dropout events, academic proficiency, school mobility, and child welfare placement changes for the foster care classes of 2014 to 2017 (Report No. 103). Denver, CO: Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver. Retrieved from https://coloradolab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/8-31-18-foster-care-grad-rate-report.pdf
Clemens, E. V., & Sheesley, A. P. (2018). Educational success of Colorado students in foster care: What we have learned and future directions for actionable research (Report No. 102). Denver, CO: Colorado Evaluation and Action Lab at the University of Denver. Retrieved from https://coloradolab.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/8-6-18-foster-care-research-agenda-report.pdf
Sheesley, A. P. (2017). Medicaid expansion, Medicaid reimbursement methodologies, and counselor employment at Federally Qualified Health Centers (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from University of Northern Colorado https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/418/
Clemens, E. V., & Sheesley, A. P. (2016). Every transition counts: Educational stability of Colorado’s students in foster care, 2007-08 to 2013-14. Greeley, CO: University of Northern Colorado. Retrieved from http://www.unco.edu/cebs/foster-care-research/pdf/reports/Every_Transition_Counts _V.1_Interactive.pdf